Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546437
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER 2026 • ISSUE 109 • PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY gozotoday €1.00 Personal Loans NEW BOAT? All loans are subject to normal bank lending criteria and final approval from the Bank. The term of the loan must not go beyond re rement age. Issued by Bank of Valle a p.l.c. 58, Triq San Żakkarija, Il-Belt Valle a VLT 1130. Bank of Valle a p.l.c. is regulated by the MFSA and licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). Compe ve Interest Rates Two bids for fourth Gozo Channel ferry 'It was awful': Gozo residents describe sleepless nights after power cuts LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt READ STORY PAGE 4 GOZO residents were left with- out electricity for hours at a time over the weekend, with one Xagħra household describing a night of can- dles, cold showers and sleeplessness as frustration grows over repeated power failures on the island. A resident told GozoToday their area of Xagħra lost power at around 9pm on Friday, with elec- tricity only returning at approxi- mately 9.30am on Saturday. TWO companies have sub- mitted bids to provide Gozo Channel with a fourth ferry on the Malta-Gozo route, the Ministry for Gozo announced. The companies, Caronte e Tourist S.p.A. and Ragusa Xpress Ltd, submitted their offers before the tender dead- line on Wednesday. The contract, if awarded, will run for an initial period of two years and is expected to replace the current Nikolaos ship. The additional vessel is in- tended to help meet rising pas- senger and vehicle demand on the busy route, while ensuring continuity of service as the existing fleet of the Ta' Pinu, Gaudos and Nikolaos contin- ues to operate. The ministry said the evalua- tion process for the two offers is expected to begin "in the coming days and weeks". The chartering of a fourth vessel is being treated as a temporary measure until Gozo Channel Operations purchas- es two new ferries that will be permanently added to its fleet. In January, the government announced plans for Gozo Channel to have two new fer- ries in its fleet by 2029. One of the new vessels will be capable of carrying 250 ve- hicles and is expected to cost €65 million. It is intended to operate during peak traffic periods between Malta and Gozo. The second vessel will carry up to 75 vehicles at a time and is expected to cost €45 million. The existing Gozo Channel vessels can each carry around 150 vehicles. The government has also planned a €20 million upgrade of the company's three exist- ing vessels over a six-year pe- riod. As part of the upgrades, one of the vessels will be modi- fied to carry large cargo vehi- cles and will make two daily trips connecting the Freeport, Ras Ħanżir in Corradino and Mġarr harbour. The frequency of these trips could be doubled during peak periods, the government had said. The additional vessel is intended to help meet rising passenger and vehicle demand on the busy route